In My Darkness: La Chatte Noire

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Mireval

Quick explanation: Everything from this point forward has a date and a place before it. This represents where the setting is and how long it has been since Camillé left Paris.

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Mireval

Two Days, the White Camellia

Camillé stood on the deck next to the wheel. He ran his hand over her shoulder and sighed.

"Love, you can't go brooding like this forever. Neither your father nor the Ph – Erik would want you to," he told her, and she let out a long breath.

"I know that, Daniel. I just… I feel so terrible," she exclaimed, letting her head fall into her hands, "I cannot believe I had the gall to leave like that. What he must think of me!"

Daniel smiled sadly. "He loves you, Camillé. If I know anything about that man, he loves you just as much as he did before. More than likely, he's dying inside and blaming himself for fighting with you."

She looked up at him. "Really? Oh God, I hope he doesn't do anything too drastic."

"What do you mean?"

Camillé looked up at the sky. "Erik tends to be… very dramatic. I just hope he's being sensible about this. I'm so worried about him."

_____/~~\_____

Two Days, Paris

Erik threw the book across the room and fell to his knees sobbing. How could he have fought with her about going on a ship? It was just a ship! Granted, it was a ship captained by her ex-lover, but that was no reason to deny her what she wanted! He had never thought for a moment about what she would want, had only thought of his own jealousy and overprotective nature. If he actually thought rationally, he knew in his soul that Camillé would never leave him. She loved him. She had always loved him, and always would.

'I don't want you there…'

She loved him. Yes, she did, truly. So why did she leave? Because he was stubborn and unseeing. All she had wanted was to take transportation that was given to them freely by someone who would not see her hurt! If anything, she was safer on that ship, and yet he, in his selfish ways, had tried to deny her!

'I have no desire to see you…'

How could he have been so blind? He loved her so much, and he had driven her away! Driven her away… just like everyone else. Was he destined to live his life alone? Was he truly so monstrous and hideous that even Camillé couldn't forget it in the end? Not merely in face, no… he was monstrous of mind, as well. She was the one thing he wanted, the one thing he couldn't live without. And now she was gone.

'Just leave me alone…'

Alone… he was alone. As he had always been. Erik got up from his knees and walked over to the book, picking it up. Tristan and Iseult, her favorite story. He flipped through the pages and smiled lightly. Yes, the two romantic leads were separated. Tristan was forced away from Iseult… Erik was forced away from Camillé. Yet in the end, Iseult came back for Tristan. Would Camillé come back to him? And… would he die before she came?

_____/~~\_____

One Week, Mireval

Camillé walked into her childhood home, Daniel by her side. A woman rushed out of the back of the house and stopped ten yards away from them.

"Camillé?" the sweet old woman asked, and she smiled.

"Maman!" she cried, coming forward to meet the woman and embrace her in a tight hug.